In recent months, the world of journalism has seen an increased focus on “explainer” news sites. Examples include new sites like Vox, Newsbound, FiveThirtyEight and The Upshot by The New York Times. The demand for explanations in the news is growing.
Taking a step back, I think it’s interesting to think about why it’s happening and what it could mean for the future.
Let’s start with the goal: If you set out to explain something, your goal is to increase understanding. So, explainer news sites... Continue Reading

I recently wrote about a project called the Common Craft Explainer Network. The big idea is to help connect prospects looking for custom explanatory videos with talented producers.
I'm excited to report that we now have 4 members of the Explainer Network. Our newest member is Splainers - a small company from Issaquah, WA just around the corner from Seattle that specializes in simple presentations that use 3D modeling. Splainers joins great group of talented producers who not only make... Continue Reading

If there is one prediction I have for 2009, it will be that our world will become more complex. We will all be confronted with new products, services, ideas and concepts that will confuse the majority of us. And this adds to what confused us in 2008 and years before.
We're convinced that the rise of all this complexity is creating new demand for new kinds of services. Individuals and organizations will find business models in helping people deal with the complexity. The biggest opportunity... Continue Reading

We see an opportunity for a win-win. Every day, we receive multiple emails from organizations that are looking for custom explanatory videos. As we've changed our focus away from making custom videos, we can't help. Until recently, we didn't know where to point these prospects. Thankfully, we're starting to see producers who are developing a specialty in producing explanatory videos - and we're looking for more.
The opportunity we see is to create a way, through our website, to help... Continue Reading